HOUSE 


e 


No.  300 


Cfre  Commontoealtj)  of  90assacj)U0ett0. 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSION  ON  COMPEN¬ 
SATION  FOR  INDUSTRIAL  ACCIDENTS. 


To  the  Honorable  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives. 

The  Commission  on  Compensation  for  Industrial  Accidents, 
appointed  by  His  Excellency  the  Governor  in  pursuance  of  a 
resolve  approved  June  7,  1910,  has  the  honor  to  submit  herewith 
a  partial  report  of  its  work  and  of  the  investigations  which  it  has 
undertaken  under  the  instructions  contained  in  said  resolve.  The 
resolve  reads  as  follows :  — 

Resolves  of  1910,  Chapter  120. 

Resolved ,  That  the  public  good  requires  a  change  in  the  present  system 
of  determining  the  compensation  of  employees  for  injuries  sustained  in 
industrial  accidents,  and  that  the  commonwealth  ought  to  provide  dif¬ 
ferent  and  more  suitable  relief;  and 

Resolved,  That  the  governor,  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  coun¬ 
cil,  be  authorized  to  appoint  a  commission  of  five  persons,  citizens  of 
the  commonwealth,  one  of  whom  shall  be  designated  as  chairman,  for  the 
purpose  of  investigating  the  effect  of  the  present  laws  relating  to  the 
liability  of  employers  for  injuries  received  by  employees  in  the  course 
of  their  employment.  The  commission  shall  investigate  other  laws  and 
systems  in  operation  in  other  states  and  countries,  shall  correspond  or 
confer  with  committees  and  commissions  in  other  states  considering  the 
same  subject,  and  shall  draft  an  act  for  the  compensation  of  employees 
for  industrial  accidents.  The  commission  shall  be  provided  with  suit¬ 
able  quarters  in  the  state  house  or  elsewhere.  It  may  employ  all  neces¬ 
sary  clerical  or  other  assistance  and  may  incur  such  reasonable  expense, 


1  3  i  -  S 
H3Sr 


2  INDUSTRIAL  ACCIDENTS.  [Jan. 

including  travelling  expenses,  and  shall  receive  such  remuneration,  as 
may  be  approved  by  the  governor  and  council.  The  commission  shall 
report  in  print  the  draft  of  the  act  and  a  compilation  of  the  data  and 
statistics  and  such  other  information  as  the  commission  may  be  pos¬ 
sessed  of  as  a  result  of  its  investigation  and  study,  on  or  before  the  sec¬ 
ond  Wednesday  in  January  in  the  year  nineteen  hundred  and  eleven, 
and  the  powers  of  said  commission  shall  terminate  on  that  date.  The 
total  expense  to  be  incurred  under  this  resolve  shall  not  exceed  the  sum 
of  ten  thousand  dollars.  The  provisions  of  section  twenty-one  of  chap¬ 
ter  three  of  the  Revised  Laws  shall  not  apply  to  the  appointments  to  be 
made  under  this  resolve.  [ Approved  June  7,  1910. 

His  Excellency  the  Governor,  on  the  8th  of  June,  1910,  appointed 
as  members  of  the  commission  the  following:  James  A.  Lowell  of 
Newton,  chairman;  Amos  T.  Saunders  of  Clinton;  Magnus  W. 
Alexander  of  Lynn;  Henry  Howrard  of  Brookline;  and  Joseph  A. 
Parks  of  Fall  River. 

The  commission  completed  its  organization  by  the  election  of 
Mr.  Saunders  as  secretary  and  the  appointment  of  Carroll  W. 
Doten  as  chief  investigator,  and  immediately  began  a  careful  study 
of  the  literature  of  the  subject,  which  was  found  to  be  very  exten¬ 
sive.  This  work  was  greatly  facilitated  by  the  State  Librarian, 
who  prepared  extensive  bibliographies  and  placed  the  legislative 
reference  department  of  the  library  at  the  disposal  of  the  commis¬ 
sion.  As  soon  as  practicable  a  plan  of  work  was  mapped  out  and 
preliminary  investigations  were  started.  This  plan  included  a 
thorough  study  of  the  different  systems  of  insurance  and  compensa¬ 
tion  which  have  been  enacted  in  various  parts  of  the  world.  While 
the  laws  of  all  countries  were  given  due  consideration,  particular 
attention  was  paid  to  those  of  England  and  Germany.  The  com¬ 
mission  was  aided  in  its  study  of  the  German  system  by  Richard 
C.  Krogmann  of  Hamburg,  Ger.,  president  of  the  See-Berufsgenos- 
senschaft,  and  Frederick  L.  Hoffman  of  Newark,  N.  J. 

Nearly  thirty  countries  and  self-governing  colonies  have  largely 
done  awrav  with  their  old  laws  of  liability  based  upon  the  fault  or 
negligence  of  the  employer,  which  were  not  essentially  different 
from  those  now  in  operation  throughout  the  United  States.  Under 
one  form  or  another  these  countries  have  adopted  new  methods  of 
providing  for  the  victims  of  industrial  accidents  by  means  of  fixed 
scales  of  compensation,  largely  irrespective  of  negligence.  These 
new  laws  are  not  intended  to  be  punitive  in  any  sense,  but  are 


1911.] 


HOUSE  — No.  300. 


3 


founded  on  the  principle  that  the  whole  community  for  which 
production  is  carried  on  should  bear  the  burden  of  all  the  costs  of 
production;  in  other  words,  that  the  cost  of  an  industry  in  life 
and  limb  should  first  be  met  by  the  employer  or  by  some  system 
of  insurance,  and  then  charged  against  society  as  consumers  of 
the  product,  in  the  same  way  as  the  depreciation  of  machinery 
and  other  costs  of  production  are  provided  for. 

No  two  countries  have  precisely  the  same  method  of  distributing 
this  burden  or  of  providing  for  the  victims;  but  all  the  different 
plans  are  modifications  or  combinations  of  three  distinct  systems, 
which  are  typified  by  the  compensation  act  of  Great  Britain,  the 
compulsory  mutual  insurance  system  of  Germany  and  the  compul¬ 
sory  State  insurance  of  Norway.  A  brief  description  of  these 
three  systems  will  therefore  afford  a  fair  idea  of  all  the  others. 

The  English  Compensation  Act. 

Under  this  act  the  employer  in  every  employment,  since  July 
1,  1907,  must  provide  compensation  in  cases  of  injury  to  an  em¬ 
ployee  due  to  an  accident  arising  out  of  or  in  the  course  of  his 
employment,  except  where  such  accident  was  due  to  the  serious 
and  willful  misconduct  of  the  injured  person;  and  even  then  the 
employer  must  pay  in  the  event  of  death  or  serious  and  permanent 
disablement.  Compensation  must  also  be  provided  when  death 
or  disability  results  from  certain  industrial  diseases.  Compensa¬ 
tion  is  not  payable  for  the  first  week  after  the  accident,  unless  the 
disability  continues  for  more  than  two  weeks,  in  which  case  it 
dates  from  the  first  day. 

In  non-fatal  accidents  the  injured  person  is  entitled  to  receive 
compensation  equal  to  50  per  cent,  of  his  loss  of  wages,  but  not 
more  than  £1  ($4.87)  a  week,  during  disability. 

In  case  death  results  from  the  injury,  dependents  wholly  depend¬ 
ent  upon  the  earnings  of  the  deceased  get  at  least  three  years’ 
earnings,  or  £150  ($730)  (whichever  sum  is  the  larger),  but  not 
more  than  £300  ($1,460).  Partial  dependents  get  such  a  sum  as 
may  be  agreed  upon  or  allowed  by  referee  or  court. 

The  amounts  payable  in  cases  of  death  are  required  to  be  paid 
into  court  in  a  lump  sum,  and  are  “  invested,  applied  or  otherwise 
dealt  with  by  the  court  in  such  manner”  as  it  deems  best  for  the 
benefit  of  the  persons  entitled  thereto.  It  is  also  provided  in  the 


31206 


4 


INDUSTRIAL  ACCIDENTS. 


[Jan. 


act  that  weekly  payments  which  have  continued  for  at  least  six 
months  may  be  redeem  ed,  at  the  request  of  the  employer,  by  the 
payment  of  a  lump  sum  sufficient  in  amount  to  purchase  an  annuity 
for  the  injured  employee  equal  to  75  per  cent,  of  his  weekly  com¬ 
pensation.  Such  lump  sum  may  be  “  invested  or  otherwise  applied 
for  the  benefit  of  the  person  entitled  thereto/’  as  the  “  committee 
or  arbitrator  or  judge  of  the  county  court”  may  order.  It  is  also 
possible  for  the  employer  and  injured  employee  to  agree  upon  a 
lump-sum  settlement. 

Contracting  out,  or  the  substitution  of  voluntary  schemes  by 
mutual  agreement  between  the  employer  and  his  workmen,  is 
permitted  under  certain  restrictions. 

The  distinctive  feature  of  the  English  system  is  that  the  burden 
of  providing  compensation  falls  directly  upon  the  individual  em¬ 
ployer,  as  no  method  of  insurance  is  provided  for  or  required  by 
law. 

The  German  System  of  Mutual  Insurance. 

This  system  includes  three  kinds  of  insurance;  namely,  sickness, 
accident,  and  old-age  and  invalidity  insurance.  The  last  form, 
while  closely  related  to  the  other  two  in  the  German  scheme,  may 
be  left  out  of  account  for  the  purposes  of  this  discussion.  The 
other  two  are  indissolubly  joined  together  so  far  as  the  benefits  are 
concerned,  though  entirely  separate  in  organization  and  manage¬ 
ment. 

The  sickness  insurance  is  compulsory  for  all  workmen  engaged 
in  manufacture  and  trade  whose  incomes  do  not  exceed  2,000 
marks  ($476)  a  year.  The  fund  for  this  insurance  is  derived  from 
contributions,  one-third  by  employers  and  two-thirds  by  employees, 
and  is  administered  by  local  mutual  associations,  in  the  manage¬ 
ment  of  which  both  parties  share  in  proportion  to  their  contribu¬ 
tions.  Out  of  this  fund  medical  attendance  is  provided  in  cases 
of  accident  as  wTell  as  sickness,  and  funeral  expenses  and  the  greater 
part  of  the  compensation  for  the  first  thirteen  weeks  of  disability 
due  to  accident  are  paid. 

Accident  insurance  for  every  employee  whose  yearly  earnings 
do  not  exceed  3,000  marks  ($714)  must  be  provided  at  the  expense 
of  the  employer  in  manufacturing,  carrying,  transportation,  for¬ 
estry,  allied  trades  and  agriculture.  If  wages  exceed  1,500  marks 
($357),  only  one- third  of  the  excess  above  that  amount  is  taken 


1911.] 


HOUSE  —  No.  300. 


5 


into  account  in  computing  pensions.  This  insurance  is  carried 
by  mutual  associations  of  employers  in  the  same  or  allied  indus¬ 
tries,  and  is  provided  without  contributions  by  the  employees. 
Each  employer  contributes  to  the  cost  according  to  the  size  of 
his  establishment,  —  that  is,  the  amount  of  his  pay  roll,  —  and 
the  risk  in  his  particular  branch  of  the  industry.  In  some  cases 
individual  establishments  where  many  accidents  occur  are 
charged  an  extra  premium. 

Every  injured  employee  receives  compensation  from  the  third 
day  after  the  accident  during  the  entire  period  of  his  disability, 
in  proportion  to  the  degree  of  disability.  The  usual  amount  for 
complete  disability  is  66%  per  cent,  of  his  earnings  before  the 
accident,  though  in  certain  cases  full  wages  are  allowed.  This 
compensation  is  provided  as  follows:  50  per  cent,  of  wages  is 
paid  from  the  third  to  the  ninetieth  day  out  of  the  sickness  insur¬ 
ance  fund;  from  the  twenty-ninth  to  the  ninetieth  day,  16%  per 
cent,  is  added  from  the  accident  insurance  fund;  and  after  the 
ninetieth  day,  the  whole  66%  per  cent,  is  drawn  from  the  latter 
fund. 

In  case  of  death,  funeral  expenses  equal  to  twenty  times  the 
daily  wages  of  the  deceased  —  not  less  than  50  marks  ($11.90)  — 
are  paid;  and  if  dependents  are  left,  pensions  are  provided  for 
them  out  of  the  accident  fund.  Such  pensions  are  limited  in  total 
to  60  per  cent,  of  the  earnings  of  the  deceased.  For  example,  the 
widow  receives  20  per  cent.,  and  each  child  under  fifteen  years  of 
age  20  per  cent.,  up  to  the  total  for  all  dependents  of  60  per  cent. 
In  case  of  remarriage,  the  widow  receives  three  times  the  amount 
of  her  annual  pension  as  a  lump-sum  settlement. 

The  characteristic  feature  of  the  German  system  is  compulsory 
mutual  insurance. 

State  Insurance  in  Norway. 

Employers  in  certain  lines  of  industry  are  compelled  to  provide 
accident  insurance  for  their  employees.  This  insurance  must  be 
taken  in  the  central  insurance  office  of  the  State.  The  expenses 
of  management  of  this  office  are  met  by  general  taxes,  and  pre¬ 
miums  are  charged  in  accordance  with  the  risk  of  each  line  of 
industry,  to  meet  the  requirements  for  pensions  and  other  pay¬ 
ments  on  account  of  injuries  to  workmen. 


6 


INDUSTRIAL  ACCIDENTS. 


[Jan. 


Out  of  this  insurance  fund  the  injured  workman  receives  medical 
attendance  and  surgical  treatment,  and  60  per  cent,  of  his  loss  of 
wages,  but  not  less  than  3  crowns  (80  cents)  a  week  nor  more  than 
15  crowns  ($4)  a  week  during  disability.  Such  payments,  how¬ 
ever,  do  not  cover  the  first  four  weeks  of  disability;  if  the  injured 
employee  is  a  member  of  a  sickness  insurance  society,  he  receives 
these  benefits  from  that  source  during  the  first  four  weeks;  other¬ 
wise,  the  employer  is  required  to  provide  the  same  during  this 
period. 

In  case  of  death,  funeral  expenses  to  the  amount  of  50  crowns 
($13.40)  are  paid,  and  pensions  are  provided  for  the  dependent 
relatives.  The  widow  receives  20  per  cent,  of  the  wages  of  the 
deceased,  and  each  child  under  fifteen  years  of  age  15  per  cent., 
the  total  payments  not  to  exceed  50  per  cent.  If  the  widow 
remarries,  she  receives  a  lump-sum  payment  equal  to  three  times 
the  amount  of  her  annuity.  Other  relations  share  these  benefits 
under  certain  conditions,  but  in  no  case  is  the  total  payment  in 
excess  of  50  per  cent. 

The  characteristic  feature  of  the  Norwegian  system  is  compul¬ 
sory  State  insurance;  but  such  insurance  does  not  relieve  the 
individual  employer  entirely  of  the  burden  of  providing  compen¬ 
sation,  as  is  the  case  under  the  German  plan.  He  may  be  called 
upon  to  pay  benefits  directly  to  his  injured  employee  during  the 
first  four  weeks  of  disability. 

New  York  Compensation  Acts. 

The  New  York  State  Legislature  at  its  last  session  passed  two 
important  laws,  which  went  into  effect  Sept.  1,  1910.  The  first  is 
a  compulsory  compensation  act,  which  applies  to  certain  danger¬ 
ous  employments;  and  the  second  is  an  amended  employers’ 
liability  law,  covering  all  other  employments,  and  providing  for 
contracting  out  by  the  employers  if  they  can  reach  an  agreement 
with  their  employees  to  substitute  a  voluntary  scheme,  giving 
certain  stipulated  amounts  in  accordance  with  the  scale  of  com¬ 
pensation  contained  in  the  compulsory  act. 

The  Compulsory  Law  ( Chapter  674)  • 

This  law  resembles  the  English  compensation  act.  It  applies 
only  to  employees  engaged  in  manual  or  mechanical  labor  in  the 
following  employments :  — 


1911.] 


HOUSE  —  No.  300. 


7 


1.  The  erection  or  demolition  of  any  bridge  or  building  in  which  there 
is,  or  in  which  the  plans  and  specifications  require,  iron  or  steel  frame 

work. 

2.  The  operation  of  elevators,  elevating  machines  or  deriicks  or 
hoisting  apparatus  used  within  or  on  the  outside  of  any  bridge  or  build¬ 
ing  for  the  conveying  of  materials  in  connection  with  the  erection  or 
demolition  of  such  bridge  or  building. 

3.  Work  on  scaffolds  of  any  kind  elevated  twenty  feet  or  more  above 
the  ground,  water  or  floor  beneath,  in  the  erection,  construction,  paint¬ 
ing,  alteration  or  repair  of  buildings,  bridges  or  structures. 

4.  Construction,  operation,  alteration  or  repair  of  wires,  cables,  switch¬ 
boards  or  apparatus  charged  with  electric  currents. 

5.  All  work  necessitating  dangerous  proximity  to  gunpowder,  blast¬ 
ing  powder,  dynamite  or  any  other  explosives,  where  the  same  are  used 
as  instrumentalities  of  the  industry. 

6.  The  operation  on  steam  railroads  of  locomotives,'  engines,  trains, 
motors  or  cars  propelled  by  gravity  or  steam,  electricity  or  other 
mechanical  power,  or  the  construction  or  repair  of  steam  railroad  tracks 
and  road  beds  over  which  such  locomotives,  engines,  trains,  motors  or 
cars  are  operated. 

7.  The  construction  of  tunnels  and  subways. 

8.  All  work  carried  on  under  compressed  air. 

This  law  provides  the  following  scale  of  compensation :  — 

In  non-fatal  accidents,  the  injured  employee  is  entitled  to  a 
weekly  compensation,  after  the  end  of  the  second  week  of  dis¬ 
ability,  of  50  per  cent,  of  his  average  weekly  earnings;  but  such 
compensation  shall  not  exceed  $10  a  week,  nor  extend  over  more 
than  eight  years  from  the  date  of  the  accident.  If  the  injury 
results  in  partial  incapacity  only,  earnings  after  the  accident  are 
to  be  taken  into  account,  and  in  no  case  is  the  employee  to  receive 
as  compensation  more  than  his  actual  loss  of  wages. 

In  case  death  results  from  the  injury,  the  widow  or  next  of 
kin,  if  wholly  dependent  on  his  earnings,  is  entitled  to  a  sum  equal 
to  twelve  hundred  times  the  daily  earnings  of  the  deceased  em¬ 
ployee,  but  not  more  than  $3,000;  if  such  dependents  are  only 
partially  dependent,  they  are  to  receive  such  a  sum  as  may  be 
determined  according  to  the  injury  which  they  have  sustained. 

If  the  injured  employee  leaves  no  dependents,  the  employer 
is  required  to  pay  the  reasonable  expenses  of  his  medical  attend¬ 
ance  and  burial,  not  exceeding  $100. 

If  the  injury  was  due  to  the  serious  and  willful  misconduct  of 
the  injured  employee,  the  employer  is  not  liable  under  this  act. 
The  law  does  not  provide  for,  nor  prohibit,  contracting  out;  and 


8 


INDUSTRIAL  ACCIDENTS. 


[Jan. 


makes  no  special  provision  in  case  of  the  remarriage  of  the  widow, 
as  is  done  in  most  European  laws. 

This  act  does  not  repeal  or  disturb  the  common-law  rights  of 
the  employee  or  the  employers’  liability  law  of  the  State  ;  but 
permits  the  employee,  or  his  executor  or  administrator  in  case  of 
his  death,  to  elect  to  bring  suit  under  any  law  existing  prior  to 
the  passage  of  this  act,  or  to  claim  the  compensation  provided  by 
the  act  itself,  but  not  both. 

The  characteristic  feature  of  this  law,  which  involves  the  prin¬ 
ciples  of  the  English  compensation  act,  is  its  application  to  extra 
hazardous  employments  only.  This  limitation  was  evidently  in¬ 
tended  to  avoid  constitutional  difficulties,  the  assumption  being 
that  the  industries  selected  come  clearly  within  the  power  of  the 
State  to  regulate.  The  validity  of  this  law  is  now  being  tested 
in  the  courts  of  the  State. 

Employers'  Liability  Law  (Chapter  852). 

This  act  amended  the  previously  existing  employers’  liability 
law  of  the  State,  so  as  to  materially  increase  the  employer’s  liabil¬ 
ity  for  accidents  to  his  employees  and  to  lessen  the  effectiveness 
of  his  defences.  He  is  made  responsible  for  defects  in  his  “plant,” 
this  word  having  been  added  to  the  phrase  “ways,  works  and 
machinery.”  It  is  supposed  that  this  word  includes  simple  tools 
and  temporary  structures,  like  scaffolds,  ropes,  etc.,  which  were 
not  covered  by  “ways,  works  and  machinery.”  The  employer  is 
also  made  liable  for  the  negligence  of  any  person  in  his  service  who 
is  “intrusted  with  any  superintendence”  or  “authority  to  direct, 
control  or  command  any  employee  in  the  performance  of  the  duty 
of  such  employee.”  He  is  also  liable  for  injuries  sustained  by  the 
employees  of  an  independent  contractor  or  sub-contractor  who 
may  contract  to  do  part  of  his  work. 

Under  this  law,  the  employee  is  presumed  to  have  assumed 
only  the  necessary  risks  of  the  occupation;  that  is,  risks  “inherent 
in  the  nature  of  the  business  which  remain  after  the  employer  has 
exercised  due  care  in  providing  for  the  safety  of  his  employees,  and 
has  complied  with  the  laws  affecting  or  regulating  such  business 
or  occupation  for  the  greater  safety  of  such  employees.”  He  is 
not  presumed  to  assume  the  risk  if  he  continues  to  work  under 
defective  conditions,  even  if  he  knew  of  such  defects,  and  failed, 


1911.] 


HOUSE  —  No.  300. 


9 


within  a  reasonable  time,  to  report  them  to  the  employer  or  some 
one  in  authority  over  him,  provided  that  “  such  defect  or  negligence 
was  known  to  the  employer  ...  or  could  have  been  discovered  by 
such  employer  by  reasonable  and  proper  care,  tests  or  inspection.” 

The  law  places  the  burden  of  proving  contributory  negligence 
upon  the  employer. 

It  is  further  provided  in  this  law  that  the  employer  may  enter 
into  a  contract  with  any  of  his  employees  to  pay  a  certain  scale 
of  compensation  for  the  death  or  disability  of  such  employee,  due 
to  accident;  and  that  during  the  continuance  of  such  contracts  the 
employees  consenting  thereto  shall  have  no  other  remedy  in  case 
of  injury  but  that  provided  in  such  contract,  except  where  the 
injury  is  due  to  the  failure  of  the  employer  to  obey  safety  regula¬ 
tions  provided  by  law,  or  to  the  serious  and  willful  misconduct  of 
the  employer.  The  benefits  provided  are  the  same  as  those  con¬ 
tained  in  the  compulsory  act  (chapter  674). 

It  is  manifestly  the  purpose  of  this  law  to  induce  employers  to 
accept  the  principle  of  compensation  in  dealing  with  injured 
employees. 

Conferences. 

Realizing  from  the  start  that  the  most  serious  objection  to  the 
passage  of  a  compensation  act  in  this  State  would  be  the  possible 
handicap  which  it  might  impose  upon  the  industries  of  the  State 
in  competition  with  those  of  other  States  not  having  such  advanced 
legislation,  the  commission  proceeded  at  once  to  carry  out  the 
instructions  contained  in  the  resolve  in  regard  to  conferring  with 
“committees  and  commissions  in  other  states  and  countries.”  The 
members  of  the  commission,  immediately  after  their  appointment, 
proceeded  to  Chicago  and  attended  a  two  days’  conference  of 
State  commissions,  held  under  the  auspices  of  the  American  Asso¬ 
ciation  for  Labor  Legislation.  On  July  30  the  commission  visited 
New  York,  and  had  an  all  day’s  conference  with  members  of  the 
New  York  Commission  on  Employers’  Liability.  On  October  20 
the  members  of  the  commission  attended  a  meeting  of  the  Liability 
Insurance  Association  in  New  York,  at  which  addresses  were  made 
by  experts  on  various  features  of  compensation  laws  and  liability 
insurance. 

The  most  important  conference  attended,  however,  was  one 
called  by  this  commission  to  meet  in  Chicago,  November  10-12. 


10 


INDUSTRIAL  ACCIDENTS. 


[Jan. 


At  this  conference  representatives  of  eight  State  commissions  and 
of  the  United  States  Employers’  Liability  Commission,  the  Com¬ 
missioner  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Labor,  a  special  com¬ 
mittee  representing  the  Conference  of  Commissioners  on  Uniform 
State  Laws,  and  a  representative  chosen  by  the  Governor  of  Con¬ 
necticut,  devoted  three  days  to  a  discussion  in  great  detail  of 
thirteen  fundamental  propositions  submitted  by  the  Massachu¬ 
setts  Commission.  The  chairman  of  the  Massachusetts  Commis¬ 
sion  was  temporary  chairman,  and  the  secretary  of  this  commission 
was  elected  permanent  secretary,  of  this  conference. 

At  the  close  of  the  conference,  which  was  marked  by  consider¬ 
able  unanimity  of  opinion,  it  was  voted  to  publish  the  stenographic 
report  of  the  meetings,  for  the  use  of  the  commissions  and  other 
organizations  represented.  These  proceedings  have  been  pub¬ 
lished  by  the  secretary  in  a  volume  of  362  pages,  which  will  be  of 
great  value  to  such  commissions  and  legislative  committees  as 
may  hereafter  have  occasion  to  study  this  question. 

Public  Hearings. 

The  commission  has  held  public  hearings  in  the  following  cities: 
Boston,  afternoon  and  evening,  September  29;  Lowell,  afternoon 
and  evening,  October  7 ;  Springfield,  afternoon  and  evening,  Octo¬ 
ber  14;  Pittsfield,  afternoon,  October  15;  Fall  River,  afternoon 
and  evening,  October  27;  New  Bedford,  afternoon  and  evening, 
October  28;  Boston,  afternoon,  November  2;  Boston,  afternoon 
and  evening,  December  28;  and  Worcester,  evening,  December  29. 
The  last  two  hearings  were  held  after  a  synopsis  and  draft  of  a 
tentative  act  had  been  given  out  for  public  discussion  and  criticism. 
All  of  the  hearings  were  extensively  advertised  in  the  newspapers, 
and  a  large  number  of  invitations  were  sent  to  representatives  of 
labor  organizations  and  employers’  associations,  as  well  as  to 
individuals  who  were  known  to  be  interested  in  the  subject,  or 
who  were  believed  to  be  qualified  to  give  valuable  advice  and 
assistance  to  the  commission. 

Investigations. 

In  determining  the  character  and  scope  of  investigations  to  be 
undertaken,  the  commission  was  influenced  by  two  considerations, 
namely:  (1)  the  manifest  intent  of  the  General  Court,  as  expressed 


1911.] 


HOUSE  —  No.  300. 


11 


in  the  resolve;  and  (2)  the  limited  time  at  the  disposal  of  the 
commission.  The  resolve  states  in  explicit  terms  “  that  the  public 
good  requires  a  change/’  and  that  “more  suitable  relief”  ought  to 
be  provided  for  injured  employees.  These  statements  have  been 
so  abundantly  justified  by  the  testimony  of  practically  every  one 
who  has  appeared  before  the  commission  at  its  public  hearings, 
that  there  appeared  to  be  no  good  reason  for  securing  statistical 
evidence  along  this  line. 

The  need  of  change  being  admitted,  the  next  point  to  be  deter¬ 
mined  statistically  was  the  probable  cost  of  such  a  compensation 
or  insurance  system  as  the  commission  might  feel  inclined  to 
recommend  for  adoption.  A  careful  study  of  the  investigations 
of  other  commissions  and  committees  disclosed  the  fact  that,  so 
far  as  American  experience  is  concerned,  no  data  were  available 
which  would  be  of  any  real  value  in  estimating  costs  for  Massa¬ 
chusetts  industries.  Several  investigations  were  found  to  be  in 
progress  in  various  European  countries,  but  the  results  were  not 
likely  to  be  available  in  time  to  be  of  service  to  this  commission, 
even  if  such  data  could  be  relied  upon  as  a  safe  basis  of  inference 
as  to  the  probable  effects  of  similar  laws  in  this  country.  Con¬ 
sequently,  the  commission  ffound  that  it  must  depend  upon  its 
own  efforts  in  this  matter,  and  therefore  turned  its  attention 
directly  to  the  available  sources  of  information  within  the  Com¬ 
monwealth. 

Whatever  comment  is  made  herein  concerning  the  departments 
of  the  State  government  is  not  intended  as  a  criticism  of  their 
methods.  The  statistics  that  they  have  obtained  were  not  designed 
for  such  purposes  as  this  commission  has  in  view.  The  same  con¬ 
ditions  have  been  found  to  exist  in  other  States  and  in  foreign 
countries,  except  where  a  special  system  of  reports  has  been  devised 
in  anticipation  of  or  as  a  result  of  the  passage  of  a  compensation  act. 

A  study  of  the  statistics  collected  and  compiled  by  various  State 
departments  and  commissions  yielded  meager  returns.  The  only 
figures  covering  all  industries  are  those  prepared  by  the  Secretary 
of  the  Commonwealth.  These  relate  to  deaths  only,  and  are 
obtained  from  reports  of  city  and  town  clerks  and  medical  exam¬ 
iners.  No  use  could  be  made  of  these  statistics,  however,  because 
the  classification  adopted  in  tabulating  deaths  due  to  violent  causes 
does  not  distinguish  employers  from  employees.  Even  if  this  dis- 


12 


INDUSTRIAL  ACCIDENTS. 


[Jan. 


tinction  had  been  made,  there  would  have  been  further  difficulty 
in  separating  the  industrial  cases  from  the  non-industrial.  More¬ 
over,  in  order  to  be  of  much  use  as  a  basis  for  estimating  the  cost 
of  compensation,  the  wages  of  the  deceased  and  the  existence  or 
non-existence  of  dependents  in  each  case  would  have  been  neces¬ 
sary.  The  original  schedules  on  which  reports  are  returned  do  not 
call  for  this  information,  and  it  was  found  to  be  useless  to  attempt 
a  retabulation  of  the  data. 

The  mortality  reports  of  the  State  Board  of  Health  were  found 
to  be  equally  useless  for  our  purposes,  and  also  less  complete. 
They  are  obtained  from  the  reports  of  local  boards  of  health,  and 
cover  only  cities  and  towns  of  at  least  5,000  inhabitants.  They 
are,  therefore,  merely  a  partial  duplication  of  the  reports  of  the 
Secretary  of  the  Commonwealth. 

Finding  that  it  was  impossible  to  obtain  a  knowledge  even  of 
accidental  deaths  for  all  lines  of  industry,  the  commission  next 
examined  the  reports  of  the  Board  of  Railroad  Commissioners  and 
the  factory  inspection  department  of  the  District  Police.  These 
cover  only  limited  fields,  but  include  non-fatal  as  well  as  fatal 
accidents.  Here  again  it  was  found  that  the  data  were  not  gathered 
in  a  way  to  make  them  of  any  particular  value  to  this  commission. 

The  Railroad  Commissioners  require  all  railroads  and  street 
railways  to  report  all  cases  of  fatal  and  serious  injuries  due  to 
accidents.  Shop  accidents  are  not  called  for,  and  in  most  cases 
are  probably  not  reported.  The  word  “serious”  is  obviously 
susceptible  of  a  variety  of  interpretations.  The  railroads,  accus¬ 
tomed  to  make  reports  to  the  Interstate  Commerce  Commission, 
which  requires  a  report  in  every  case  where  the  injury  results  in 
disability  of  at  least  three  days,  probably  make  fairly  complete 
returns  to  the  Board;  but  the  reports  of  the  street  railways  were 
found  to  be  entirely  inadequate  and  lacking  in  uniformity. 

But  even  if  these  reports  had  been  accurate  and  complete,  they 
would  have  been  of  little  value  for  the  purpose  of  determining 
costs,  as  there  is  nothing  in  them  to  show  the  length  or  seriousness 
of  disability  in  non-fatal,  or  the  fact  of  dependency  in  fatal,  acci¬ 
dents. 

Practically  the  same  difficulties  were  found  to  exist  in  regard  to 
the  statistics  prepared  by  the  District  Police.  The  law  requires 
all  manufacturers  and  proprietors  of  mercantile  establishments  to 


1911.] 


HOUSE  —  No.  300. 


13 


send  to  the  Chief  of  the  District  Police  a  written  notice  of  any 
accident  to  an  employee  while  at  work,  which  results  in  death  or 
at  least  four  days’  disability.  No  schedules  or  blanks  are  pro¬ 
vided  for  the  use  of  those  making  such  reports,  and,  as  a  result, 
the  reports  contain  very  little  information  that  can  be  tabulated. 
As  reports  must  be  made  immediately  after  the  occurrence  of  the 
accidents,  it  is  impossible  in  many  cases  to  know  how  long  the 
disability  will  continue  or  how  serious  the  injury  is.  An  inde¬ 
pendent  investigation  made  by  this  commission  seems  to  show  that 
not  over  50  per  cent,  of  the  accidents  which  the  law  requires  to  be 
reported  are  actually  reported.  The  cases  are  tabulated  under 
the  three  heads  of  “killed,”  “seriously  injured,”  and  “slightly 
injured.”  The  determination  of  the  classification  of  non-fatal 
accidents  is  largely  a  matter  of  estimate,  and  as  no  system  of 
supplemental  reports  is  provided  for,  the  extent  of  disability  is 
absolutely  unknown. 

Failing  to  obtain  what  it  desired  from  these  public  sources,  the 
commission  turned  to  the  liability  insurance  companies  for  informa¬ 
tion  upon  which  to  base  an  estimate  of  costs.  It  soon  became 
evident  that  these  companies  had  no  figures  that  would  be  of  any 
particular  value  in  this  matter,  and  it  was  impossible  for  the 
commission  to  do  more  than  make  a  test  investigation  in  the  office 
of  one  company.  It  was  found  that  up  to  the  present  time  there 
has  been  no  attempt  to  ascertain  the  extent  of  disability  in  non- 
fatal  cases,  or  the  number  of  dependents  and  degree  of  dependency 
in  fatal  cases.  The  main  object  of  these  reports  has  been  to 
determine  the  question  of  liability  under  the  law;  and  the  same 
is  true  of  all  subsequent  investigations  by  inspectors  or  adjustors. 
The  weakness  of  this  system  of  reports  has  recently  been  demon¬ 
strated  in  New  York,  where  the  insurance  companies  have  not 
had  the  data  to  determine  what  premiums  they  can  safely  charge 
under  the  new  compensation  law,  which  went  into  effect  in  that 
State,  Sept.  1,  1910. 

It  became  apparent,  as  these  various  sources  failed  to  yield 
results,  that  a  ne^  line  of  investigation  would  have  to  be  under¬ 
taken.  The  commission  was  able  to  secure  the  co-operation  of 
about  120  representative  employers  in  about  40  different  indus¬ 
tries.  Schedules 1  were  sent  to  these  employers  upon  which  to 


1  See  Schedule  A,  appended  hereto. 


14 


INDUSTRIAL  ACCIDENTS. 


[Jan. 


make  weekly  returns  for  a  period  of  ten  weeks,  from  September  12 
to  November  21,  of  all  accidents  occurring  in  their  plants  or  upon 
their  premises.  This  investigation  was  limited  in  two  ways:  (1) 
as  to  the  period  covered ;  and  (2)  as  to  the  proportion  of  the  indus¬ 
try  covered ;  but  the  selection  was  so  made  as  to  be  representative 
of  large  and  small  employers  and  city  and  country  conditions,  and 
to  afford  a  sufficiently  broad  basis  to  be  fairly  representative  of 
the  whole  industry  in  each  case.  The  proportions  vary  a  good 
deal  in  different  lines,  but  the  reports  received  cover  from  20  to 
30  per  cent,  of  the  employees  in  the  industries  under  consideration. 

This  investigation  closed  on  the  20th  of  November,  so  far  as  the 
reporting  of  accidents  was  concerned;  but  supplementary  reports, 
showing  how  long  disability  continued,  were  received  up  to  Decem¬ 
ber  19. 

A  primary  tabulation  of  the  returns  from  this  investigation, 
appended  hereto,  shows  that,  out  of  2,849  accidents  reported,  3 
were  fatal;  and  of  the  non-fatal,  2,358  resulted  in  disability  of 
not  over  two  weeks.  In  135  of  the  remaining  308  cases  the  exact 
period  of  disability  could  not  be  determined  accurately  at  that 
time,  owing  to  the  fact  that  many  of  the  injured  employees  had 
not  reported  for  work;  but  in  all  but  7  instances  it  is  practically 
certain  that  disability  lasted  more  than  two  weeks.  This  unknown 
class  can  be  very  materially  reduced  by  subsequent  inquiries,  if 
this  investigation  is  continued. 

In  order  to  ascertain  the  cost  of  the  present  system  of  dealing 
with  industrial  accidents  in  this  State,  it  seemed  desirable  to 
undertake  another  investigation.  In  carrying  out  this  idea  a 
schedule 1  calling  for  the  amounts  expended  by  employers  during 
the  year  1909  for  insurance  of  various  kinds,  in  the  settlement  of 
claims  and  in  voluntary  aid  to  injured  employees  and  their  families, 
was  sent  to  over  1,200  of  the  employers  of  the  State  on  October  17, 
and  was  made  returnable  on  or  before  November  1 .  Eight  hundred 
and  twenty-five  schedules  have  been  received  at  this  time,  and  of 
these,  734  contained  full  and  satisfactory  data.  It  is,  of  course, 
realized  that  this  investigation  is  merely  representative  in  its 
character;  but  the  results  are  fairly  satisfactory,  because  the 
investigation  covers  a  complete  year,  and  a  very  large  proportion 


1  See  Schedule  B,  appended  hereto. 


1911.] 


HOUSE  —  No.  300. 


15 


of  the  employers  doing  business  in  the  State.  A  tabulation  of  the 
results  of  this  investigation  is  appended  hereto. 

In  Table  I.  the  results  of  the  ten  weeks’  investigation  of  accidents 
in  about  120  establishments  in  this  Commonwealth  are  set  forth  in 
such  a  way  as  to  show  the  proportion  of  cases  that  would  be  entitled 
to  compensation  under  a  law  providing  for  a  waiting  period  of  two 
weeks.  It  should  be  noted  that  the  exact  length  of  disability 
could  not  be  determined  in  135  cases  at  the  time  the  tabulation 
was  undertaken.  This  number  is  made  up  of  tWo  classes  of  cases: 
namely,  serious  injuries  occurring  at  various  times  during  the 
reporting  period;  and  slighter  injuries  which  occurred  near  the 
close  of  that  period.  This  table  and  the  investigation  which  pro¬ 
vided  the  data  for  it  are  of  interest  chiefly  for  the  purpose  of 
indicating  what  must  be  done  on  a  larger  scale  in  order  to  secure 
an  adequate  basis  for  estimating  the  cost  of  a  compensation  act. 

It  is  worthy  of  note,  however,  that  less  than  11  per  cent,  of  the 
accidents  reported  were  of  a  character  to  require  compensation. 
There  is  reason  to  believe  that  this  proportion  would  have  been 
somewhat  smaller  if  all  the  concerns  had  reported  every  trivial 
accident;  but  the  experience  of  some  large  companies  which  have 
studied  their  own  accidents  over  long  periods  of  time  seems  to 
indicate  that  this  proportion  is  approximately  correct. 

The  first  column  of  this  table  is  included  in  order  to  indicate  to 
what  extent  the  figures  resulting  from  the  investigation  are  rep¬ 
resentative  of  the  various  lines  of  industry.  It  should  be  noted 
that  the  statistics  of  manufactures  are  not  as  complete  as  census 
returns,  but  they  represent  at  least  90  per  cent,  of  the  industries 
covered.  They  were  used  because  the  figures  for  the  thirteenth 
census  are  not  yet  available.  The  rapid  growth  of  some  lines  of 
business  during  the  past  three  years  accounts  for  the  disproportion¬ 
ate  number  of  employees  in  the  two  columns  in  several  instances. 


16 


INDUSTRIAL  ACCIDENTS. 


[Jan. 


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1911.] 


HOUSE  —  No.  300. 


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18 


INDUSTRIAL  ACCIDENTS. 


[Jan. 


Table  II.  shows  the  cost  to  734  employers  of  the  present  system 
of  providing  for  the  victims  of  industrial  accidents  in  this  State. 
It  will  be  noted  that  these  establishments  were  in  most  cases  large 
ones,  as  the  average  number  of  employees  is  271 ;  while  the  average 
for  the  5,969  establishments  covered  by  the  Statistics  of  Manu¬ 
factures  of  the  Massachusetts  Bureau  of  Statistics  is  only  85. 

Of  the  734  establishments,  there  were  59,  with  10,976  employees, 
which  carried  no  liability  insurance.  The  cost  of  claims  and  suits 
to  these  uninsured  employers  was  $23,705.  Deducting  this  amount 
from  the  net  cost  as  it  appears  in  the  table  under  that  heading 
leaves  $133,144  as  the  amount  which  insured  employers  expended 
in  excess  of  premiums  in  meeting  their  legal  liability. 

The  total  amount  expended  for  all  purposes  in  connection  with 
accidents,  exclusive  of  the  sums  refunded  by  insurance  companies, 
was  $483,405.18.  This  means  an  average  cost  of  42  cents  per  $100 
of  pay  roll.  It  would  not  be  safe  to  compute  rates  for  all  of  the 
industries  contained  in  this  table,  because  of  the  small  figures 
involved  and  the  consequent  liability  to  error,  due  to  exceptional 
occurrences  during  the  year  in  question ;  but  three  important  indus¬ 
tries  in  this  State,  with  a  proportionately  large  representation  in 
this  table,  should  be  noted.  Boots  and  shoes  show  a  rate  of  13 
cents  per  $100  of  pay  roll;  cotton  goods,  24  cents;  and  foundries 
40  cents. 


1911.] 


i 


HOUSE  —  No.  300. 


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1  Of  this  amount,  $23,705  was  paid  by  the  establishments  which  carried  no  insurance. 


1911.] 


HOUSE  —  No.  300. 


21 


Owing  to  unexpected  circumstances,  the  commission  has  been 
unable  to  submit  an  act.  In  order  to  draft  an  act  based  upon 
such  information  as  the  commission  has  now  in  its  possession, 
at  least  two  months’  more  time  would  be  required. 

The  commission  does  not  feel  justified  in  submitting  the  forego¬ 
ing  report  without  expressing  the  conviction  that  further  investiga¬ 
tion  and  study  should  be  undertaken  before  a  measure  is  submitted 
for  enactment.  It  is  the  unanimous  opinion  of  the  commission 
that  another  year  should  be  devoted  to  such  a  study,  before  a 
final  report  is  made.  This  opinion  has  been  reached  much  to  the 
regret  and  contrary  to  the  original  belief  of  the  commission. 

The  commission  has  been  greatly  impressed  by  the  pronounced 
opposition  of  both  employers  and  employees  to  the  tentative  draft 
of  a  compensation  act  recently  published.  It  believes  that  a  con¬ 
siderable  part  of  this  opposition  will  be  overcome  by  further 
consideration  and  study  of  the  question. 

A  frequent  objection  to  a  compensation  law  providing  adequate 
relief  for  the  victims  of  industrial  accidents  is  based  upon  the 
fear  that  such  a  measure  will  impose  an  undue  burden  upon  the 
industries  of  this  State,  in  competition  with  those  of  other  States. 
The  commission  recognizes  that,  with  the  present  knowledge  of 
the  nature  and  extent  of  industrial  accidents,  it  is  impossible  to 
answer  adequately  the  query  as  to  the  probable  cost  of  any  form 
of  compensation  act.  The  commission  feels,  however,  that  an 
act  can  be  devised  which  shall  provide  adequate  and  speedy  relief 
at  a  cost  not  greatly  in  excess  of  the  present  expenditures  of 
employers  for  legal  liability  and  voluntary  aid  to  injured  employees. 
Investigations  already  made  point  in  this  direction,  but  statistics 
for  a  year  are  necessary,  in  order  that  safe  conclusions  on  this 
point  may  be  reached. 

It  would  probably  be  possible,  before  the  end  of  another  year, 
to  bring  about  a  considerable  degree  of  uniformity  in  the  legisla¬ 
tion  to  be  enacted  in  the  several  States  now  considering  the  matter. 
Substantial  progress  along  this  line  has  already  been  made,  but 
further  conferences  and  comparison  of  measures  should  be  under¬ 
taken,  if  full  advantage  is  to  be  derived  from  the  work  already 
done.  Several  agencies  are  at  work  which  will  aid  in  the  accom¬ 
plishment  of  this  result.  One  of  these  is  the  Conference  of  Com¬ 
missions  on  Uniform  State  Laws,  which  will  meet  next  August. 


22 


INDUSTRIAL  ACCIDENTS. 


[Jan. 


A  committee  of  this  conference,  which  has  been  in  active  co-opera¬ 
tion  with  this  commission  and  other  similar  bodies,  will  prepare 
a  bill  for  presentation  at  the  next  conference.  It  is  well  known 
that  the  commissions  on  uniform  State  laws  have  been  very  suc¬ 
cessful  in  securing  the  passage  of  uniform  laws  in  many  States. 

Another  factor  in  the  situation  is  the  Federal  Commission, 
appointed  at  the  close  of  the  last  session  of  Congress,  which  is 
required  to  report  in  December,  1911.  The  report  of  this  com¬ 
mission  should  have  much  weight  in  determining  the  character 
of  State  legislation. 

A  large  number  of  investigations  of  foreign  laws  and  the  results 
of  their  operation  have  been  in  progress  during  the  past  year,  and 
the  material  gathered  in  this  way  will  soon  be  available  in  the 
form  of  statistical  reports.  The  most  important  of  these  prospec¬ 
tive  sources  of  information  is  the  forthcoming  report  of  the  United 
States  Bureau  of  Labor.  The  State  department  of  the  federal 
government  has ^  also  conducted  a  thorough  study  of  the  practical 
working  of  various  European  systems  through  its  consular  agents, 
whose  reports  are  now  accessible  in  the  Consular  Bureau.  These 
and  many  other  reports  will  afford  fresh  material  which  has  here¬ 
tofore  not  been  available. 

The  hearings  of  the  commission  have  afforded  evidence  of  a 
growing  feeling  that  some  new  system  of  insurance  should  be 
provided  in  connection  with,  or  instead  of,  a  compensation  act,  in 
order  to  safeguard  the  payment  of  compensation  to  employees  and 
to  lessen  the  cost  of  operation.  This  is  a  question  which  has  been 
of  great  interest  to  the  commission,  but  which  it  has  not  had  the 
time  to  study  adequately. 

For  the  foregoing  reasons,  the  commission  believes  that  another 
year  of  study  and  investigation  will  result  in  the  submission  of  an 
act  which  should  prove  more  adequate  to  the  needs  of  the  situation 
and  be  more  equitable  to  employees  and  employers  than  any  act 
which  could  be  prepared  by  the  commission  now,  based  on  the 
information  at  present  available. 

If  this  suggestion  is  adopted,  the  commission  recommends  the 
passage  of  a  law  requiring  every  employer  of  labor  in  the  Com¬ 
monwealth  to  report  every  accident  to  an  employee  in  his  em- 


1911.] 


HOUSE  —  No.  300. 


23 


ployment  during  the  coming  year.  These  reports  should  be  made 
directly  to  the  commission  on  blanks  provided  for  that  purpose, 
and  should  cover  such  points  as  the  commission  may  hold  to  be 
necessary  for  its  purposes. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

JAMES  A.  LOWELL, 

Chairman. 

AMOS  T.  SAUNDERS, 

Secretary. 

MAGNUS  W.  ALEXANDER. 

HENRY  HOWARD. 

JOSEPH  A.  PARKS. 


24 


INDUSTRIAL  ACCIDENTS. 


[Jan. 


SCHEDULE  A. 


4®“ (To  be  made  out  promptly  for  any  injuries  by  accident  arising  out  of  and  in  the  course  of 

the  employment  of  the  injured.) 

456  Report  of  Accident. 

Name  and  Location  of  Firm . 

Number  of  Employees 

Injured  Employee: 

Name . 

Home  Address . . 

Nationality . Average  Wage  per  Week  $ . 

S  ngle,  Married  or  Widowed.  Number  of  Children  under  16  Years  of  Age . 

(Cross  out  two  words.) 

Occupation  when  Injured . 

How  Long  Employed  in  Such  Occupation . 

How  Long  Employed  with  Present  Firm . 

Name  of  Machine  or  Tool  by  which  Injured . 

Injury: 

Date  and  Hour  of  Accident . 

Nature  of  Injury . 

Did  Injury  Prevent  Continuance  of  Work? . Probable  Period  of  Disability.  . 

Description  of  Accident . 


Male  . 
Female  ge 


Date 


Report  Made  Out  by 
Whose  Position  is .  . . 


456  Supplementary  Report  of  Accident. 

4®" (To  be  detached  and  forwarded  when  injured  person  returns  to  work.) 

Name  of  Injured  Employee . 

Has  Injured  Returned  to  Work? . When? . 

If  Injured  has  not  Returned  to  Work  on  or  before  November  21,  1910,  State  Why 


Date 


Report  Made  Out  By 


1911.] 


HOUSE  —  No.  300. 


25 


SCHEDULE  B. 


Firm, . Address, 

Business, . 

Average  number  of  employees  in  1909, . 

Total  wages  paid  in  1909,  $ . 


Expenses  on  Account  of  Accidents  to  Employees  in  1909. 
Amount  Paid  for  Insurance: 

Employers’  liability,  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  $.  . 

Workmen’s  collective,  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 

Other,  e.g.,  elevator  liability,  etc.  (specify),  .  .  .  ... 

Total,  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  •  S  *  • 


Amount  Contributed  to  Employees  Benefit  Association,  .  .  $ 


Cost  of  Claims  or  Suits:  Total. 

Amount  paid  in  settlements,  .  .  $ . 

Amount  paid  in  damages,  .  . 

Amount  paid  in  court  fees,  .  . 

Cost  of  maintaining  claim  department,  . 

Cost  of  legal  department  or  counsel 

charged  to  accidents,  .  .  . 

Other  (specify),  .  '.  .  . 


Refunded  by 
Insurance  Co. 
$ . 


Net  Cost. 
$ . 


Totals, 


Aid  to  Injured  Employees: 

Medical:  first  aid,  .  .  .  .  $ .  $ .  $ 

doctor,  .  .  .  . 

hospital,  .  .  .  . 

other  (specify),  .  .  .  . . 

Compensation:  wages,  .  .  . 

pensions,  .  .  . 

other  (specify),  . 

Funeral  Expenses,  .  .  .  . 

Other  (specify),  .  .  .  . 


Totals, 


i 

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